Animals eat mushrooms. This consumption of fungi, known as mycophagy, is a widespread behavior observed across the animal kingdom. Many organisms, from tiny insects to large mammals, include mushrooms in their diets, often aiding in spore dispersal.
Diverse Animal Consumers
A wide array of animals consume mushrooms, demonstrating varied methods for finding and ingesting these fungi. Mammals, for instance, include deer, which eat a wide variety of mushrooms, and squirrels that not only eat fresh fungi but also dry and store them for later consumption. Small rodents like mice, chipmunks, and voles also consume mushrooms, contributing to spore dispersal in forests. Larger mammals such as bears and wild boars actively seek out and consume mushrooms, with wild boars known for digging them up.
Primates, including bonobos, gorillas, lemurs, and various monkey species, also eat fungi, though for many, fungi constitute a smaller portion of their diet. Some species, like Goeldi’s monkeys, spend a significant amount of their feeding time on mushrooms. Invertebrates like slugs and snails consume fungi. Insects, including beetles, flies, mites, and springtails, eat mushrooms, with some species even laying eggs in fungi to provide food for their larvae. Birds, such as wild turkeys, grouse, quail, and some gulls, forage for mushrooms.
Why Mushrooms Attract Animals
Mushrooms attract animals due to their nutritional composition. Fungi provide protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. They contain B vitamins like niacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid, and minerals such as potassium, selenium, zinc, and copper. Mushrooms also offer fiber, which aids digestion and promotes gut health.
These nutritional benefits are important when other food sources are scarce. For example, deer obtain phosphorus from mushrooms. Animals often detect mushrooms using their keen sense of smell, which allows them to locate fungi, including underground varieties like truffles.
Navigating Mushroom Toxicity
Animals employ various strategies to navigate toxic mushrooms. Many wild animals learn which mushrooms are safe to eat through experience or by observing others. This learned behavior, known as conditioned taste aversion, can lead an animal to avoid a mushroom if it causes sickness, even with a delayed reaction. Some animals also exhibit evolutionary adaptations, tolerating toxins that would harm humans. For instance, certain squirrels can consume Amanita varieties without ill effects, and box turtles are noted for their immunity to most mushroom toxins.
Despite these adaptations and learned behaviors, animals can still get sick or die from consuming poisonous mushrooms. Domestic animals, such as dogs, are particularly susceptible to mushroom poisoning due to their indiscriminate eating habits and lack of knowledge about wild fungi. The severity of illness depends on the mushroom species and the amount ingested, with symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal upset to liver or kidney failure, and neurological signs. When wild animals consume toxic fungi, it is often due to a lack of alternative food sources or accidental ingestion rather than deliberate choice.